Tanya Maniktala, penning her own story 

The performance of Tanya Maniktala, the copywriter-turned-actor, in her debut A Suitable Boy, has grabbed eyeballs. Tanya plays Lata Mehra, a young girl, who is torn between her desires and responsibilities, and the story is set in a newly independent India. 

The actor, who was chosen as the Rising Star by TIFF 2020 for her role in the series, says that her transition from copywriting to acting wasn't planned.  "One day a friend called me and asked me to come for an audition without telling me what it was for. I showed up at the audition and it was for A Suitable Boy, for Lata’s character; I was shocked. A few days before the audition, my friend and I were talking about the novel and about Lata and Malti’s relationship, because we could relate to it. It was sudden, but the audition was the most memorable moment of my life."

A Suitable Boy, also starring Ishaan Khatter, Tanya Maniktala, and Rasika Dugal, is a BBC television drama miniseries directed by Mira Nair. It is currently streaming in India on Netflix.